


Certain Surrender

by mravensblood



Category: American Gothic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-23
Updated: 2011-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-27 21:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/300212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mravensblood/pseuds/mravensblood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Plague Sower, Gail finds herself in Lucas Buck's garden searching for a necklace she lost during their encounter, only to discover she's on the brink of losing far more to him...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Certain Surrender

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CousinShelley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CousinShelley/gifts).



> For CousinShelley, I hope you enjoy and that I've brightened your Yuletide a bit.
> 
> Also, many thanks to my amazing beta!

Gail walked towards Lucas Buck's house, then stopped and turned around. At the corner she stopped again and headed back towards his house. It had been over a week since they'd had sex in his garden and she'd ended up in the hospital with the mysterious illness that had overrun Trinity and then left just as suddenly. Several times at the hospital as she drowsed in and out of consciousness, she sensed Lucas; however whenever she opened her eyes he was gone. Perhaps she'd only imagined him there. After all she'd made it very clear that she wasn't interested in having a relationship. It was meant to be a one time encounter to get him out of her system and nothing more.

"You can do this," she muttered to herself as she paused at the massive iron gate that opened into Lucas' garden.

She'd been intentionally avoiding him ever since their encounter and wouldn't be coming to his house now if she could have avoided it. Sometime during their encounter she'd lost the necklace that Aunt Judith had left to her. Gail knew it had to be somewhere in the garden and she'd waited until a time when she was certain he wouldn't be around. It would be impossible to avoid him forever, but she wanted to avoid him for as long as possible. He was bound to want a repeat of their tryst and she wasn't sure she had the strength to refuse him.

Even though she'd fallen ill near the end of their encounter, Gail's skin still felt the phantom heat of his caresses. The intense sense of need she'd felt unrelentingly before their encounter had become an unending ache. Need and desire had become sinister companions that seemed to whisper to her at every turn. And as much as she hated to admit it, Lucas had definitely gotten under her skin. She'd been intimate with other men before him, but no man had ever made her feel the way he had. It was as if each skillfully sinister touch had penetrated down to her very soul and Lucas had awakened a part of her she'd never known existed.

"Just go in, search for the necklace and get out," she told herself as she opened the gate. "You'll be gone and he'll never know you were even here."

Eventually she'd have to face Lucas, but not just yet. Caleb had said it was career day at school and she couldn't imagine Lucas Buck passing on an opportunity to impress him by speaking to his class. Casting one cautious look at the house, Gail crept into the garden. She blushed as she went to the area where they'd been intimate. As she knelt down to look for Aunt Judith's pendant, memories rose up in her mind and her nipples hardened against her bra. Gail searched vainly through the grass until a voice intruded on her search.

"Looking for something, Miss Emory?"

Turning around quickly, she nearly lost her balance as she looked up to see Lucas Buck leaning casually against on of the posts of his porch dangling her missing necklace in his hand.

Awkwardly, Gail stood up and stormed over to him.

"I thought you'd be at the school. Isn't it career day?"

"Well ma'am, it is career day, that's a fact. However they give Trinity's finest a whole afternoon the following day each year."

"Of course they do," she retorted in an annoyed tone. "Heaven forbid, the great Lucas Buck have anything less."

Amused, Lucas smiled. "Exactly so."

She shook her head. Some things never changed. Every time she tried to insult him, he'd somehow turn it around into a piece or flattery or twist her words to suit himself in some fashion. He was the most exasperating man she'd ever met. Gail sighed and looked away, unable to meet his gaze which she felt moving over her assessingly.  
"So what brings our town's loveliest visitor to my humble abode?"

"Humble?!"

Imposing and ostentatious perhaps, but humble? Hardly, she thought.

"Well ma'am, one does have to have certain-" he trailed off. Then added in a seductive tone, "Creature comforts."

Gail's pulse started to speed up slightly. Lucas had the most annoying talent for making the most mundane comments sound almost dirty. He could give the most innocuous statements an inflection that would make a Sunday school teacher blush.

"I think I lost my necklace the other day when we- when, well you know we-"

"Had carnal knowledge of one another," Lucas supplied helpfully. As she looked in annoyance he, produced her necklace in his hand with a flourish, dangling it from his fingers. "Would this be the item in question?"

"Yes," she retorted. Standing up, she reluctantly made her way to the porch and held her hand out.

"Now just a minute, why don't you come inside? I was about to have lunch."

Making an unsuccessful grab for her necklace, she declined, "No thanks. I'm not hungry."

Lucas raked his eyes over her, clearly mentally undressing her. His gaze lingered over her hips as he suggested, "Why don't you keep me company then while I eat. I am positively starving."

Before Gail could respond, he turned around and disappeared inside the house. For a moment she hesitated, then went inside. She started to try to lie to herself that she was only going in for a second to get the necklace and would leave immediately; then stopped. The moment Lucas Buck had looked at her with erotic intent in his eyes, she knew she was lost. Her stomach had fluttered and sent a sharp white arc of desire through her body when she realized what he had in mind.

For a man who seemed to have an unending supply of pride and self-assurance, he had a talent for stripping away hers in mere seconds. He knew exactly what he was doing and the effect it had on her. She knew he would satisfy the urges he so deliberately awoke, but that he would also revel in her surrender. However, perhaps she was getting use to it, because despite how humbling it was to admit how much she wanted him, it seemed to get easier to acknowledge over time.

As soon as Gail was inside, the door closed behind her. Lucas stepped behind her. Not quite touching, yet so close she felt his breath on the back of her neck. She closed her eyes anticipating his touch but was disappointed when she felt the feather light sensation of the necklace going around her neck and felt him pull away from her. Bewildered, she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Won't you join me in the dining room, Miss Emory?" he inquired formally and gestured towards the dining room.

Mutely she stood, looking at him, unable to move.

"I'd invite you upstairs, darlin. But you said you didn't want-"

"I don't!" Gail interrupted and walked into the dining room, desperate to retain control.

Lucas walked slowly after her and took her arm. Turning her around, he drew Gail close so her face was turned up to his. He kissed her slowly until she moaned softly against his mouth and he chuckled, pleased with her reaction. She tried in vain to muster resistance when his hand slid under her skirt and began to pull her panties down. It was purely physical, no heart or soul, however like everything else in Trinity, she had a feeling that Lucas would control where their relationship went and she wasn't sure how long she would have the strength to fight him.

Lost in his embrace, she clung to Lucas as he kissed and caressed her, while slowly maneuvering her to the massive mahogany dining table. He eased her onto the table and slid her skirt up to her waist as he sat down in front of her. Had it been anyone other than Lucas she might have felt some shyness or embarrassment at being so exposed in the middle of the day to a man she'd only been with once before. However, the only shame she felt was in her eagerness as he parted her thighs and she felt the moisture of her arousal sliding underneath her.

Her embarrassment was short lived as Lucas leaned forward and began to lick her slowly. All coherent thought fled rapidly as his tongue probed gently, then firmly. Each movement had a careful deliberateness that seemed to coax her higher and higher. Other men had caressed her with their mouths, but she could feel him in her mind willing her to surrender and give over to him just as surely as she felt the teasing motions of his lips between her legs. Further and further she seemed to spiral beyond sanity as he pushed her to one peak after another.

When he finally covered her body with his, she'd lost all sense of reality. It was an erotic haze of pleasure that seemed to spread forever around her and the only reality was Lucas until he finally went over the edge with her and collapsed on top of her. Gail was still shivering as he kissed her gently and then looked at her. A distant part of her mind groaned with the realization she was looking at him with raw undisguised emotion; but she was too far gone to hide it and not sure there was any point in hiding how she felt. Like everything else that went on in his town, he already knew how far she was falling.

"Some day, Miss Emory, you'll beg me to take you to my bed," he murmured softly. "Or my name isn't Lucas Buck."

So that was what he considered to be the mark of her final surrender, she thought. To willingly go to his actual bed and admit there truly was some thing between them. Although she wanted to protest that he was wrong, looking into his eyes, she knew it wasn't a question of if she'd give into him, but when...


End file.
